Man leads cops on chase after entering condemned meth trailer

It happened on January 4 shortly after 3 p.m. at a home on Huntington Road in Painesville Township.

The home was recently condemned by the Lake County Health Department after officers found a clandestine methamphetamine lab.

Upon arrival in the area by Sheriff's Deputies, a man fled the trailer and on an ATV. Deputies pursued the suspect into Painesville City after which time the ATV became disabled on a large snow drift, and the suspect fled on foot.

The suspect was found hiding under some brush and was identified as James L. McElroy, Jr. of Painesville Township. McElroy was taken into custody without further incident.

Subsequent investigation at the scene revealed that McElroy was in possession of several individually wrapped packages of suspected Methamphetamine. McElroy was booked in at the Lake County Jail and charged with Criminal Trespassing, Failure to Comply with the Signal of a Police Officer and Drug Trafficking charges.